Sarah_Archer

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About Sarah_Archer

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Moderator

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http://www.greenwichhousepottery.org

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Female

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New York City

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I'm the Director of Greenwich House Pottery, a 100-year old ceramics center and exhibition space in New York. I love ceramics of all kinds - functional, not-so-functional and architectural. I studied decorative arts and design history at the Bard Graduate Center and worked at the Museum of Arts and Design before joining Greenwich House. Come visit if you're in NYC!

Good point. I have been experimenting and doing some non-clallenging pots. I have a climbing SF index. I decided to stop. Begin fresh and move into a new direction. In this slow economy, I have the time to experiment and no need to rush. Challenge is the key and as you say, Kelly, that is where the SF should be healthy. Go outside the comfort zone.
I like the idea that a climbing SF can sometimes be the key to exploring a new idea - don't all artists need to experiment and fail in order to perfect new ideas?

Hansen, have you ever seen the "Crinkle Cup" by Dutch designer Rob Brandt? They look like crinkled plastic Dixie cups but they're cast in porcelain. We've had them in the shop at GHP for a little while and they have elicited a big range of reactions - some people react very positively to their cleverness (and low price tag) while others are offended by the fact that they are slip-cast rather than hand-formed or thrown. Personally I love the interplay between the industrial and hand-fabricated - they are handmade, just not in the same way that the typical thrown pot is.

Pots are a little like flavors - not every pot goes well with every type of food. How do you decide what forms/colors/surface treatments/proportions are best for different types of food and drink? Is the table a big source of inspiration for you? Does a potter also need to be a good cook? Discuss!
(Image courtesy of Shevon Gant Ceramics)

@venetiancat: It made me laugh too!
I think Simon's "Suck Factor" system is useful for a number of reasons, and I especially like the fact that it involves 360 "degrees" - "suck" is relative, in a sense.
One of the most useful things I learned in grad school was that "good design" = "appealing to me" (as a response to the concept that any particular era or movement has the monopoly on "good design" as an objective measure). The proof of this is that what is perceived as "good" changes decade by decade. Tastes evolve and swing back and forth; sometimes an artist or designer is right in tune with the zeitgeist, and sometimes they're making frilly, floral work in a minimalist decade.
Do you have a personal "suck factor"-type yardstick that you use to evaluate you're own work?
Does this personal critique system coexist with a community (classmates, teachers/professors, studio-mates) that offers you feedback on your work?

Hello, Ceramic Arts Community forum readers! I'm excited to be moderating the Aesthetics boards and look forward to learning from the ideas and opinions shared here.
Since many of our readers are makers, I'm curious to know how the new industrial techniques and tools in ceramics that Andy Brayman discussed in "The New Factory" (3D printers, for example) are perceived by our readership.
Are you excited by the possibility of using industrial techniques in your own work? If so, how would you use it?
Are you attracted to (or repelled by) by ceramic work made with industrial techniques?
Should studio potters resist the use of such tools, or are they a welcome addition to the field?